After recent win, Kurdish MMA fighter sets eyes on champ-champ status

Following his recent championship victory, a Kurdish Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter from the United States wants to become a two-division champion.

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Following his recent championship victory, a Kurdish Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter from Nashville, United States, says he wants to become a two-division champion.

Ahva Abdurrahman, 20, defeated opponent Cameron Hall in a featherweight (145lbs) championship fight on Jan. 19 via unanimous decision to become the new V3 Fights featherweight champion.

Abdurrahman says he is eager to get back in the cage and fight for another belt, this time in the bantamweight (135lbs) division.

The Kurdish MMA fighter told Kurdistan 24 his team wants a catchweight fight for the 135lbs and the 145lbs belts at 140lbs. Catchweight means meeting in the middle of two weight classes.

V3 Fights has scheduled a “Super Fight” bout between Abdurrahman and the current bantamweight champion, Jacob Sandlin, on March 30 in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. The winner gets two belts. If Abdurrahman is victorious, he will become the promotion’s first Kurdish fighter to do so. 

Ahva Abdurrahman after his victory at V3 Fights 72, Jan. 19, 2019. (Photo: V3 Fights)
Ahva Abdurrahman after his victory at V3 Fights 72, Jan. 19, 2019. (Photo: V3 Fights)

Since making his debut at 18, Abdurrahman says he has grown a lot and that his evolution as a fighter will continue.

“Martial arts and the fight game have forced me to grow in multiple ways,” he told Kurdistan 24. “This game has put me in a different zone mentally, and I won’t stop until my mission is complete.”

According to the Kurdish athlete, there is no room for complacency in MMA, “you have to respect it and put all of your energy into it.”

“In this game, you don’t get rewarded for putting 99 percent into it. You pay for the one percent you didn’t put in.”

Abdurrahman, who holds an amateur record of five wins and two losses, says he has plans on turning professional in the future, but his focus is to gain as much experience and learn as much as he can as an amateur fighter.

“When I feel I’m ready, I’ll make the jump.”